+ 63 days Post Transplant

Sorry it's taken me so long to update you, but we have been on the go! Last weekend we surprised the boys with a trip to Elijah's alma mater, Kansas State University. We took them up to see the spring ball game, to meet up with some of Eli's old teammates and meet the new coaching staff. The first pic you see of us is the picture we took on our way to the cocktail party for they had for former players and coaching staff. Elijah had a great time seeing guys he hadn't seen in years and it was hilarious hearing stories from his college days. It was funny to hear about some of the things that occured during his college football days, especially when I now see how those events helped mold him to the man he is today. I enjoyed seeing him enjoy himself with the guys. We stayed at the home of Larry and Donna Schlappi, big supporters of K-State(that's them pictured with Eli). They were such a nice couple, so hospitable and genuine. They have a little dog named Maddie, who the boys harassed all weekend. We all had an amazing time. Big Eli drove us there since we really don't want him on the plane for the first 3 months after the transplant. In the thrid pciture you'll see Eli with his bestfriends from college, EG (in the white) and Reggie (in the black). They were the three amigos back then. In the fourth pic you see Eli with two of his fraternity brothers. The last pics are of the boys hanging out at the football facility and on the sideline of the game. There's also a pic of Evan and Maddie, whom I sure slept long and hard after we left. Lastly I included a pic of the Wildcat Wall of Fame that has Big Eli's name included. We came home on Sunday and then on Wednesday the big man was off again. This time he drove to St. Louis to hang out with his friend Reggie, who's pictured above, who is now a sports agent and hosts a golf tournament and get together for his clients the weekend of the NFL draft. He just got back home tonight and he said he had a great time talking to the new guys who are entering the NFL and chatting with the old guys. I hope you found this update well worth the wait. I cannot begin to tell you how amazed even we are about Elijah's recovery from his transplant. He made his first attempt to start jogging last week. The feeling in his feet is steadily returning so he is very happy about that. He went to the doctor a few days ago (in between his roadtrips) and the doc said everything is still looking great so he doesn't have to go back for another month. What more can I say? God is good. Thank you for the prayers, I'll keep providing you with the proof that they work! Kimberly

Saturday, April 15, 2006

+49 (49 days since transplant)

Hello all! Long time no speak! In our case, no news is great news! Today we went to a friends house for an Easter Egg hunt we all had a ball. It was so nice to get out as a family and enjoy friends. L'il Eli is posing with the basket he won for winning at musical chairs. Big Eli is continuing to do well. He's still golfing, working out, and today he attended church for the first time since his transplant. Since we still have to be careful about germs we figured the Saturday service would be best for him since it wouldn't be crowded. His feet started tingling today and we're pretty excited about that because it's a sign that he's regaining feeling in his feet. The numbness in his feet is the last of the symptoms from the whole chemo regimen that he's still dealing with. Once he gets the feeling in his feet back he can start to jog, and he's itching to do that. He's not scheduled to go back to the doctor again for another 2 weeks. I mean, when I tell you we know that his progress is nothing more than a blessing from God, I am not kidding. Seeing him smiling and being so active makes us all feel better. We're making our plans for our summer vacation and looking forward to the future. My mom will be coming in from Florida to watch the boys while we get our own little trip in. We are truly looking forward to that. I'll be back in a few days. Thank you for your prayers and please keep 'em coming.

The Alexander Family

Hi everyone! As you can see coach has bought himself a "new" car. He always talked about buying an old classic car so he decided to take the plunge and buy a 1950 Chevy Bel-Air. I took this pic after we returned from our first spin through the neighborhood today. He is looking forward to adding a few things to it and going cruising on the weekends!

At his last doctor's visit the doc said he is still amazed at Elijah's progress. A few days before his visit we were concerned because his legs looked swollen. Come to find out he's just filling back out due to his lifting weights and bike riding. He gained 6 lbs last week! He'd been small for so long that seeing his muscles reappear actually scared us! He gets to take a break from doctor's visits for a few weeks now. This weekend he'll be attending his first North Texas Myeloma Support Group (I can't go, the kidlets have games, of course). We've never actually met any of the members, but we have corresponded via e-mail with some. They were very helpful during this ordeal.

I'm sure some of you heard the reports about "experts" saying that prayer doesn't help with healing. They obviously havent heard Eli's story. The first round of tests that Eli took a couple of weeks ago show that the presence of myeloma in his system has already dropped to .01%, the cancer is almost undetectable. Dr. B expects it to continue to drop because they don't normally see a number that this soon after a transplant. I want to thank you all for your continued prayers for our family. But there are also others that are in need of prayer too so if you warriors can send some prayers up for our babysitter Leah and one of Eli's Wildcat players, Bryce, it would truly be appreciated. Leah was diagnosed with MS last week. Our sons love her because they share a love for animals. Leah will be graduating from college next month and we are very proud of her.

Here's a pic of Bryce and Coach after winning the big championship game in November. A few days after this pic was taken Bryce was diagnosed with a condition that is causing him to lose his hearing. We were informed today that Bryce won't be able to play football this year. We are truly saddened by the news because Bryce and his family are great people and coach loved Bryce's attitude about the game. They will always be a part of our wildcat family.

Thank you,

Kimberly